


About Nico

by MidnightinJapan



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Drama, Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 18:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightinJapan/pseuds/MidnightinJapan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico vents to Hazel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	About Nico

Title: About Nico

Author: MidnightinJapan

Edited by Lordsandladiesofthesilverscreen

Disclaimer: Characters, locations, etc are the property of Rock Riordan.

 

Summary: Nico venting to Hazel.

* * *

 

 

She wanted to hug him but he wasn’t ready and she could see that.

“I used to be happy with my mom and then in the Lotus Hotel with Bianca.  We rode to Camp Half Blood in Apollo’s car, did I ever tell you?” He looked at her and she shook her head. “At first when Bianca joined the Hunters I thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I had just watched Percy and the others fight a real monster and I thought I could be strong like them. Let Bianca go with the Hunters and I’ll hang out with cool Percy and his friends at this awesome camp.” He had a grin on his face as he said this and she wanted to cry.

“Then Zoe Nightshade picked Bianca to go on that quest.” His smiled disappeared and he started pacing the floor of their father’s temple. “I was going to sneak off and follow them –fight monsters with my sister—but Percy found me and talked me out of it. He was right and I knew it and so I put it on him. I asked him to protect Bianca because I couldn’t. I waited for them at camp and I was still happy because I thought they were both going to come back and tell me all about their adventure and next time I could go.” He stopped and stared at a point on the wall. She could tell he was thinking of Bianca’s death.

“When I ran away I accidentally ended up in the labyrinth and the spirit of Minos found me. It was all a trick at the time but he taught me to use my powers and I started trying to call Bianca’s spirit, thinking I could bring her back that way, but she wouldn’t come. More to the point, Minos told me that only he could understand me. I was the son of Hades and everyone would treat me differently because of that, everyone except for the dead. As my powers grew they changed me. He showed me around the underworld and my time there changed me too. Before I was this happy kid playing Mythomagic and now I was angry; and every living thing shied away from me.” He stared down at his shoes, his voice tight, “it made me believe what Minos said.”

“Then later, after I resolved things with Bianca and got over my grudge against Percy, I realized how nice he was to me all the time. He praised me every time he saw my powers and he tried to protect me from Kronos. I mean Annabeth was always nice to me too –it made everything worse because I couldn’t hate her—but Percy…those compliments always meant more to me coming from him. Everyone else flinched away from me except for him. He always kept trying to include me too, he just accepted me no questions asked. My feelings for him got stronger and I couldn’t take it because I hated myself for not being normal –a child of the underworld and my other feelings-- and for not being able to be with him because he made me feel normal.”

“Minos’s words were still ringing in my ears and I thought Percy would shy away from me eventually like everyone else. So I left and finally worked up the courage to approach Hades and tell him I was his son.”

“How did that go?” Asked Hazel. Nico shrugged.

“He was...welcoming at first because the whole point of taking me and Bianca out of the Lotus Hotel was for one of us to be the prophecy child. So, he claimed me and gave me this ring.” Nico grasped the skull ring on his finger and started turning it. “But do you know what he said to me?” She shook her head again.

“He said the same thing. I was his son and that meant the others would never accept me, just like how the other gods treated him. I was young and I wanted him to like me and I believed him, I let him talk me into believing that I was all alone and would be alone forever. And then I let him talk me into betraying Percy. I realized my mistake then and I’m doing it again now.” He said looking at her.

“Love is hard for children of Hades but it’s also possible. I can’t have Percy because he belongs to Annabeth but I want to be that happy kid again, Hazel.”

A tear streaked down his face and she knew she was seconds away from crying too. When Nico came to her and said there was something he wanted to tell her, she never imagined this. He was gay and he was in love with Percy. She felt like the worst sister because she should have seen his heartache before now.

“I want something- someone for me,” he said sadly. She walked over and finally hugged him. When she pulled back, her face was wet too.

“You will find someone,” she said earnestly. “You just have to stop being afraid and start being open.”

She hugged him again and held him to her. They stayed in the temple for a while longer. Later Hazel would go to the temple of Cupid, make an offering, and pray for her brother to find someone who would love him because he deserved it and that was the least Cupid could do.


End file.
